Various types of calls for wildlife animals have been developed over the past many decades. These calls generally attempt to simulate sounds of particular wildlife animals. Most traditional wildlife animal calls are used by hunters to call game--the wildlife which is the object of their pursuit. Game calls attempt to simulate the sounds of the particular game being hunted. Game calls may act as lures to attract the game to the hunter's vicinity or may act to put the game at ease. Efforts have been made for decades to improve game calls and develop more effective ways to simulate sounds of game animals.
Game calls have traditionally been built in standardized forms with respect to sound reproduction. While the aesthetics of game calls have been highly varied, indeed a specialized art form among many, the basic construction of the internal components of the call (i.e., the reed, the sounding board, and the barrel) have traditionally been standardized for consistent sound reproduction. Manufacturing processes have been set up to ensure that game calls produce substantially similar sounds for the majority of persons using the call. Therefore, internal configurations of traditional game calls has traditionally varied little.
For obvious reasons, standardization of the sound-producing components of game calls presents difficulties for many users of the game calls. People using the game calls have different preferences, physical attributes, and different calling abilities with respect to the game calls. It is quite common for a standardized game call to be highly useful in the hands of one hunter, yet less effective, and perhaps even unusable, in the hands of another hunter.
Another difficulty with respect to traditional game calls, mentioned above, is that they are manufactured to produce a particular sound without much variation irrespective of the particular user. As such, traditional game calls have been built so that the vibrating structure, such as a reed, is secured at a single, specific location relative to the sounding board of the call. The only way to vary the tone produced by such calls, if at all, is where the individual users change their method of calling. Changes in the tone produced are highly limited given the standardized construction.
Still another problem with traditional game calls, particularly game calls requiring the use of a vibrating structure, such as a reed, a diaphragm, or an elastic material, relates to the introduction of moisture into the game call in areas surrounding the vibrating structure. Moisture may enter into a game call, for example and without limitation, in the form of saliva from the user's mouth, moisture from the user's breath, perspiration from the user's body (from carrying the call close to the user's body), or water from the outside environment. Sometimes exacerbating the moisture accumulation problems are the extreme weather conditions often associated with hunting.
Problems associated with moisture accumulation inside the call become especially acute where the game call involves multiple reeds or vibrating members. If there are two reeds. moisture may accumulate between them causing the reeds to stick together. Moisture may also accumulate on the top or bottom side of the reed combination causing the reeds to stick to the top or bottom structure adjacent the reeds. Similarly, even if the game call utilizes only one reed, moisture may accumulate on either side of the reed. Accumulated moisture often reduces the effectiveness of the call and, often times, will render the game call completely ineffective.
Yet another problem associated with the construction of a game call is that almost any modification made to the sounding board will affect the range of notes produced by the call. Thus, solving the moisture accumulation problem by modifying the configuration of the sounding board creates another entirely different set of problems. Specifically, by including moisture diverters, both channels and raised ribs, in the sounding board will change the tones produced by the call. Therefore, the problem of controlling the precise range of tones to be produced by the call when incorporating a moisture diverter system must be addressed.
Another traditional challenge with the manufacture of game calls has been the desire to develop a system for precision tuning of a game call. Prior attempts to modify the tones produced in the game call have focused on changing the overall sounding board configuration. In spite of many attempts, difficulties have remained. A precision tuning system must provide an ability to adjust the full range of desired tones, both on the low and high ends of the range.
Still another problem associated with game calls, particularly calls that can be disassembled and reassembled, relates to the assembly of components so as to ensure consistent, repeatable positioning of the components of the call to create the desired tones. Prior attempts have been made to include holes in the reed which are inserted over corresponding posts in the main body portion of the call. Repeatable assembly of call components is possible with this type of construction. The drawback of this system, however, is that there is no ability to adjust the reed relative to the sounding board of the call to vary the tones of the call.
In light of the foregoing, there has been a continual need to develop a game call apparatus that can be adjusted by the users, depending on their preferences and abilities. A need also exists to develop a game call apparatus that can be adjusted by a particular user to change the sounds produced by the game call. More specifically, there is a need to develop a game call that includes a system for adjusting a vibrating member, such as a reed, relative to the sounding board of the game call.
There is further a need to develop a system for preventing moisture from accumulating next to the vibrating, sound-producing structure of a game call. Another need exists to direct accumulated moisture, once introduced into areas adjacent the vibrating structure, toward other portions of the game call away from the vibrating structure so that the detrimental effects associated with moisture are minimized. A need also exists to develop a precision tuning system for a game call that will allow precise adjustments to be made to the high and low ends of the desired range of tones produced by the call. Yet another need exists to develop a game call apparatus that will allow exact repositioning of the game call components as desired by the user of the game call, yet allow the reed to be adjustable.